Dimond ends Eagle River girls’ basketball season

Offseason work crucial for improvement, coach says

Eagle River freshman Lauren Frost goes up for a jumper against Dimond in the CIC tournament on Feb. 29 at West. The Wolves will graduate just one senior.

STAR PHOTO BY MIKE NESPER

The Eagle River girls’ basketball season ended with an 89-15 loss to top-seeded Dimond in the opening round of the Cook Inlet Conference tournament Feb. 29 at West High.

Lauren Frost paced the Wolves with eight points.

Dimond went on to win the conference title 64-51 over tournament host West on March 3.

A 45-30 nonconference win over Skyview on Jan. 21 was Eagle River’s lone victory of the season and first in nearly three years. It was also the first win for third-year head coach Terra Bingham and the team’s lone senior Meaghan Byman.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Byman said of ending her high school career. “I’m gonna miss basketball, but it has been a long season and I’m ready to start soccer.”

Eagle River’s record didn’t reflect the progress made this season, Bingham said.

“We’ve had a lot of individual improvement,” she said.

One of those players was Danielle Crow, Bingham said.

Frost, a freshman, gave the team a big boost, Bingham said.

“She’s a true point guard,” she said.

In past years, Bingham said, Eagle River struggled to move the ball across half court. With Frost running the offense, it wasn’t an issue, she said.

Bingham said junior Dana Panfil, one of the team’s top offensive threats, improved her shooting this season.

“Dana Panfil really worked hard this summer,” she said.

And it’s that type of effort that will better Eagle River’s program, Bingham said.

“Girls really need to work in the offseason,” she said. “We can’t have girls that have never picked up a basketball before.”

Though improvements were made, Eagle River has only been around seven years, and it will take time to compete with the other CIC squads, Byman said.

“It’s just hard getting the program started,” she said.

Having Bingham as a steady coach the past three years has been a huge help for the Wolves, Byman said.

The win over Skyview was nice, Bingham said, but Eagle River had opportunities to notch a few more victories this season.

“We missed a lot of chances to win,” she said.

The Wolves, who had been on the losing end of several blowouts the past couple years, played closer games with opponents this season, Bingham said.